Before my My Karmasaga, I thought the “third eye” was a mystical metaphor or spiritual legend, perhaps referencing one’s inner eye of imagination. However, during my saga my “third eye” opened, and I had to eat crow (not tasty). The third eye goes far beyond a metaphor or legend. It is a reality that can be hard to explain, especially to someone who has never experienced it. But hey, I’m gonna try, cuz I’m rebel like that, yo.

Inside one’s mental awareness, the third eye can open up another form of vision very much like when you open an eyelid, which is probably why it’s called the third eye--

It can also open up via a tunnel-like (or wormhole-like ala Star Trek) portal inside one’s head much like this:

Or, it can open up as if the inside of one’s forehead has suddenly transformed into a flat-screen TV. Or, it can open up like a movie projector focusing images several inches or a few feet in front of you. I’ve had all of the above and there may be other forms of third eye vision I haven’t experienced yet. For some people, the third eye is accessed only when the physical eyes are closed. For others, it is accessed when the physical eyes are open. And for many, it can be either. The third eye can open during meditation or sleep, at will, randomly or be open all the time. The third eye is associated with the sixth or forehead chakra (energy center of wisdom, mental activity, focus, thoughts, beliefs, and paradigm or worldview), and the third eye energy is located in the center of the forehead between the eyebrows. It is most commonly associated in our culture with psychic phenomena, though in some ways this diminishes the sacred gift it can be, since it makes it too easily dismissed by our left-brained, scientific culture. Third eye vision goes vastly beyond any kind of vision you’ve experienced with your physical eyes or inner imagination. The clarity and information that comes, along with the speed it can be given at, can be simply overwhelming. I’ve seen colors that are so vivid, images that are so alien, geometric designs so psychedelic, and ideas that language simply can’t convey. They are impossible to describe. You can see things from the past, into the future, inside bodies, inside souls, and inside anything really. You can see other universes or dimensions. Sometimes images come in color, sometimes black and white. Sometimes the images are cartoony, sometimes they are digital, and sometimes they are so real. Like this morning: my third eye opened while I was still in bed and this time it opened through a tube-like telescope. I saw a couple of faces pop in at the end of the telescope and then who did I see? My cat, Snuffles. She looked at me through the end of the tube, and then put her nose in it, like she was trying to get into this fascinating tubular box to see if she could get to me through it. It was hilariously funny to me, seeing my apparently psychic cat so real and lifelike on the other side of my third eye vision.

Some spiritual traditions put a lot of emphasis on the third eye as it is the wisdom chakra center. However, I’ve seen that putting too much emphasis here can be detrimental. For example, just because someone can see a lot through their third eye (or has any other seemingly sensationalistic spiritual gift) does not mean they are wise or loving or working from a place of integrity. I’ve seen people with excellent integrity wrongly interpret the images they see. I’ve seen people with terrible integrity use their third eye for harm. I’ve seen people with excellent visionary gifts assume that if THEY can’t see it (since they can see so much) then it must not be there. But no one sees all, except the Divine Self in its fullness. So, what I’m saying is, just because someone’s third eye is open, does not make that person your guru or guide. Anyone’s intuitive gifts can be skewed by their own issues and thus, test the spirits and trust your own intuition. Your own internal Divine knowing is your best guide. On the other hand, a lot of people are dismissive or terrified of such things as third eyes, energy healing, psychic gifts, telepathy, psychokinesis, mediumship, etc. They think it’s nonsense, spooky or even demonic, and they won’t have a thing to do with any of it. This is a tragedy in our culture. It is true that it’s best that someone be at a certain level of psycho-socio-spiritual development to be able to manage the gifts with integrity in the service of all. So, having everyone jump aboard into the world beyond the veil before they’re ready isn’t wise. But neither is throwing the baby out with the bath water. To be sure, when the other side of the veil does begin to reveal itself to you it can feel spooky and even scary at first. Dragonfly, starring Kevin Costner, is a great movie that demonstrates this. In it, Costner plays a medical doctor whose pregnant wife (also a medical doctor) dies in a tragic accident while on a humanitarian mission to an Amazon tribe. After her death, he starts to experience all sorts of bizarre things: a dead body talks, hospitalized children with NDEs give him messages, multiple signs and synchronicities occur, he sees his dead wife’s spirit, etc. Since he and everyone around him is purely entrenched in the world of science, he at first dismisses it. However, the puzzle pieces start to add up, and they begin to make sense when added up, so he starts to follow his third eye visions and other clues, and discovers there is more to this world than meets the physical eye. So, what to do about the third eye and its mystery? 1) Do your inner work. No matter what spiritual or psychic gifts open up for you, inner work is necessary. Be vigilant! Integrity is the key. 2) Spend time in visual prayer, guided meditation, and using your imagination. Although the inner eye is not the same as the third eye, they still are sourced from the same energy center. Thus, exercising your inner eye can strengthen your 6th chakra energy that will help to open your third eye when it’s ready to do so. 3) If you’re freaked out by your third eye phenomena, seek the help of others who are trustworthy and have been through it. If you don’t know anyone who’s been through it, there is a lot of support online and at Unity and other established mystical-spiritual communities. There are also educational programs for psychic vision which will help you train your third eye as well as learn the ethics and boundaries concerning the use of your third eye. 4) Keep up your spiritual practice(s). The gifts can come and go, change, fluctuate, and transform. They are not what your spirituality is based on. Go deeper. Meditate or pray. Your own Divine connection is your anchor and keeps you grounded. 5) If you’ve never experienced your third eye and you’d like to, just allow your gifts to unfold on their own. There is a timetable your wise soul is aware of and if you’re doing your inner work and keeping up your spiritual (and visual) practices, the gifts will happen when they are to meant to. No need to push the river! 6) The third eye may require numerous energy shifts and rewiring of the brain in order to open optimally. Seek the help of energy healers and light workers to support you energetically if needed. It can take a lot of energy to keep the third eye open. At first when my third eye would open, my entire body would experience an electric shock! 7) Seek Love rather than seek the gifts. Gifts are a form of power, and seeking power above Love, skews the pure power of Love, which only seeks the highest and best for all. Love is the sacred reason the gifts are here, so be Love to all and everything else falls into place, including the gifts. Be Love above all else! Happy Sacred Vision! or better: Happy Hallow-eye-n!

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